Episode 121: The Vesuvius Challenge, with Stephen Parsons

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Dr. Carr’s academic website

Episode 120: Swimming in History, with Karen Carr

Aven McMaster February 29, 2024

We talked to Dr. Karen Carr about the global history of swimming — in myth, folktale, and history. Who swam, who didn’t, and how do the stories different cultures told reflect these patterns? We also talked a bit about Dr. Carr’s next book, all about silver, women, and textiles.

Dr. Carr’s history website and blog, Quatr.us

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Episode 119: An Ecological Chain

Aven McMaster January 31, 2024

We discuss the language and history of the ecological sciences, all the way back to the ancient Greeks, and the development of the food chain and food web models of ecological systems. And apologies for the unscheduled hiatus!

Golden Chain Cocktail

Food Web video

Cuckold video and podcast

Frank N. Egerton. “A History of the Ecological Sciences: Early Greek Origins”, Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 82.1 (2001): 93-97

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 2: Aristotle and Theophrastos”, BESA 82.2 (2001): 149-152

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 3: Hellenistic Natural History”, BESA 82.3 (2001): 201-205

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 4: Roman Natural History”, BESA 82.4 (2001): 243-246

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 5: Byzantine Natural History”, BESA 83.1 (2002): 89-94

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 6: Arabic Language Science—Origins and Zoological Writings”, BESA 83.2 (2002): 142-146

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 7: Arabic Language Science—Botany, Geography, and Decline”, BESA 83.4 (2002): 261-266

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 8: Frederick II of Hohenstaufen: Amateur Avian Ecologist and Behaviorist”, BESA 84.1 (2003): 40-44

———, “A History of the Ecological Sciences, Part 9: Albertus Magnus: a Scholastic Naturalist”, BESA 84.2 (2003): 87-91

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Episode 118: A Crisis of Masculinity, with Melanie Racette-Campbell

Aven McMaster August 31, 2023

Book cover: broken Roman statue of a male torso against a green background. Text: The Crisis of Masculinity in the Age of Augustus, Melanie Racette-Cambell

We talk to Melanie Racette-Campbell about her new book, “The Crisis of Masculinity in the Age of Augustus”, and discuss why Roman elite men were particularly vulnerable to a societal transformation that changed their role in the state. What did it mean to be a good man in ancient Rome, and how and why did that change?

Melanie’s book is available here

Broken concrete/stone carved into the shape of a ship's prow, with a carving of the rod of Asclepius — Tiber Island, picture by Jenny Muslin

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Hesiod’s Works and Days

Episode 117: A Brief History of Misogyny

Aven McMaster July 4, 2023

The word “chauvinism” is an unlikely eponym, but it turns out that the story behind it has all sorts of interesting connections. And our discussion of those connections also leads us into the long history of misogyny in the western world, from Eve and Pandora to the Virgin Mary, courtly love, and Victorian womanhood.

Cocktail: Pandora’s Jar, from Nectar of the Gods

“By Jingo” song

Hesiod’s Theogony

Semonides 7

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Episode 116: A Quiverful of Time Arrows

Aven McMaster May 30, 2023

We look at the history of English’s conceptualization of time, and update Mark’s research on spatiotemporal metaphor. Also, words for arrows, the surprising origin of ‘toxic’, and a bit of Latin poetry!

Blue Arrow cocktail

Bow and Arrow cocktail

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Dr. Valerie Fridland’s website

Episode 115: Like, Literally, Dude! with Valerie Fridland

Aven McMaster April 25, 2023

We spoke to Dr. Valerie Fridland about her new book, “Like, Literally, Dude!” and talked about the fascinating role that many ‘errors’ in English speech actually play in communication. We discuss the never-ending changes that English has gone through, the surprisingly sophisticated rules behind our use of ‘um’ and ‘uh’, and much more.

Like, Literally, Dude!

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Christopher Upward & George Davidson, The History of English Spelling (2001)

Episode 114a: The XYZ’s of Spelling

Aven McMaster April 4, 2023

It’s Part 2 of our mega-episode on spelling! This time, we get into some of the notorious mismatches between English spelling and modern English pronunciation. Explaining them takes us all the way back to Phoenician — several times — but maybe, just maybe, some bits of this odd language will make more sense to you when we’re done!

The XYZ Cocktail

Our video on “Spelling”

David Sacks, Letter Perfect (2003)

Kevin Stroud, The History of the Alphabet (audiobook)

NativLang “Thoth’s Pill - an Animated History of Writing”

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Christopher Upward & George Davidson, The History of English Spelling (2001)

Episode 114: The ABC’s of Spelling

Aven McMaster March 28, 2023

We’re wading into the messy world of English spelling in this episode — the first of two, since we couldn’t fit all of the ‘quirks’ of the language into one episode. The history of orthography in English is all tangled up with the history of the alphabet, so in this part we trace some of the twists and turns that resulted in our modern script.

The ABC Cocktail

Our video on “Spelling”

David Sacks, Letter Perfect (2003)

Kevin Stroud, The History of the Alphabet (audiobook)

NativLang “Thoth’s Pill - an Animated History of Writing”

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@AllEndlessKnot@toot.community

Bonus: Livestream Q&A from LingFest23

Aven McMaster February 28, 2023

In this bonus episode, we answer questions from viewers and listeners during a livestream on our YouTube channel, as part of #LingFest23.

Apologies for the sound quality, which isn’t great.

Also, sorry that we didn’t manage a regular episode in February, but we’ll definitely have one in March.

LingComm23

LingFest

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@AllEndlessKnot@toot.community

Announcement: LingFest23 Q&A Livestream

Aven McMaster February 8, 2023

Just a reminder that we’ll be doing a Q&A livestream on our YouTube channel as part of LingFest in connection to the LingComm23 Conference on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 1:00pm Eastern.

Please leave us your questions on this website, email us, or post on social media, or just show up on the day at the livestream.

The livestream will be here, just click on Sunday afternoon to join in!

Episode 113: Ovid's Metamorphoses in the 21st Century

Aven McMaster January 31, 2023

In this episode we talk to the authors of two new books on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the Latin epic poem he wrote in 8 CE. Stephanie McCarter has published a new translation of the poem, and Gareth Williams has written a short interpretive introductory work on the epic to go with the Columbia Core Curriculum. We talked with both of them about the way Ovid fits into contemporary society, what considerations there are when teaching this epic, and the joys and difficulties of engaging with Ovid’s poetic brilliance.

Content note for sexual violence and brief description of trauma.

LingComm23

LingFest

Stephanie McCarter’s website

Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Gareth Williams faculty page

On Ovid’s Metamorphoses

“Landscape Near Rome during Storm” by Simon Denis

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“Rewriting the history of art patronage”, by Jaynie Anderson. Renaissance Studies. Vol. 10, No. 2, Women Patrons of Renaissance Art, 1300–1600 (JUNE 1996), pp. 129-138.

Episode 112: The Bellini, Art, and Patronage

Aven McMaster December 29, 2022

A video thumbnail of a framed renaissance painting with the word “Bellini” superimposed, and a red arrow pointing from a portrait of the artist to a picture of a bellini cocktail in a champagne flute.

Two champagne flutes full of bellini cocktails

As we get ready to mark the new year, it seems a good time to talk about a classic cocktail made with sparkling wine: the Bellini. Our conversation takes us to Italy, in the 20th century, the 15th century, and the 1st century BCE, to Renaissance art and the Roman practice of patronage, and more. Happy New Year!

“Isabella d'Este and Giovanni Bellini's 'Presepio'“, by J. M. Fletcher. The Burlington Magazine. Vol. 113, No. 825, Venetian Painting (Dec., 1971), pp. 703-713.

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Our previous interview with Paul (episode 21)

Episode 111: Haggard Hawks, back again!

Aven McMaster November 29, 2022

Front cover of a book, dark blue with various symbols scattered across in gold. Text: Why is this a question?: Everything about the origins and oddities of language you never thought to ask. Paul Anthony Jones

We welcome back Paul Anthony Jones, of Haggard Hawks fame, to ell us about his new book “Why Is This a Question?”. We talk about how his experience of social media has changed since we last interviewed him in 2016, what it was like researching a book covering such wide-ranging topics, the state of the publishing industry, and more.

Haggard Hawks

Citogenesis (the Wikipedia citation problem) coined in xkcd comic

Ridley, R. T. “To Be Taken with a Pinch of Salt: The Destruction of Carthage.” Classical Philology, vol. 81, no. 2, 1986, pp. 140–46.

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12Tone’s video “Why Do Notes Have Names?”

Episode 110: Music and Language

Aven McMaster October 29, 2022

We talk about the origins of music, its connection (both etymological and scientific) with the mind, how language is used to describe and teach music, the Muses, and the Museum of Alexandria. Also featuring brief cameos from music YouTuber 12Tone.

Monk’s Muse Cocktail

Ghost Notes Podcast

“Future” video

Murdoch Mysteries episode “The Dominion of New South Mimico”

Language: The Cultural Tool by Daniel Everett

Erskine, Andrew. “Culture and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The Museum and Library of Alexandria.” Greece & Rome, vol. 42, no. 1, 1995, pp. 38–48. JSTOR.

Hardie, Alex. “Etymologising the Muse.” Materiali e Discussioni per l’analisi Dei Testi Classici, no. 62, 2009, pp. 9–57. JSTOR.

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Episode 109: Endangered Alphabets, with Tim Brookes

Aven McMaster September 13, 2022

We spoke with Tim Brooks of the Endangered Alphabets project about the cultural importance of scripts, the pressures on marginalized and isolated scripts, his beautiful wood carvings, and the various initiatives he and his group have been working on to support script revitalization and creation around the world.

Website: Endangered Alphabets

Inhabit Media

Twitter: @endangeredalpha

Instagram: @endangeredalphas

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Olson, Kelly. “Fringed Clothing in Roman Iconography and Written Sources.” Textiles in Ancient Mediterranean Iconography, edited by SUSANNA HARRIS et al., Oxbow Books, 2022, pp. 149–60.

Episode 108: Widows, Indian Independence, and Partition

Aven McMaster August 10, 2022

Commemorating the 6th anniversary of the death of Mark’s father, and the 75th anniversary of Indian independence, this episode connects widows and partition, and while also touching on the legacy of Alexander the Great, the origins of badminton and tennis, and obscure typesetting vocabulary.

Merry Widow Cocktail

Black Widow Cocktail

Olson, Kelly. "Insignia Lugentium: Female Mourning Garments in Roman Antiquity". American Journal of Ancient History (New Series 3-4, 2004-2005 [2007]): 3-4, 2004, pp. 89-130.

Hagerman, Christopher A. “In the Footsteps of the 'Macedonian Conqueror": Alexander the Great and British India.” International Journal of the Classical Tradition, vol. 16, no. 3/4, 2009, pp. 344–92.

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“Between the Sheets: Reading the Coverlet as Comics in Catullus 64.” Image [&] Narrative 22.2 (2021)

Episode 107: Polar Regions, Comics, and Classics, with Natalie Swain

Aven McMaster July 12, 2022

We have a very fun conversation with Dr. Natalie Swain about her work on classical reception and the polar regions — the Arctic and Antarctic — science fiction, and comics. And Natalie and Mark find lots of overlaps and connections between their interests!

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics

@mazonianfeline

#ClassicsTwitterComics

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Whisky Exchange article about Futurist cocktails

Episode 106: Future in the Past?

Aven McMaster June 7, 2022

We’re talking all about the future in this episode — and if we even have one (in English). This is a topic near and dear to Mark’s heart, and in part the subject of his dissertation! We get into the nitty gritty of grammatical tense, ways of thinking about the future, and a mystery cocktail.

Our video on the Future

Lavery, Gerard B. “Hoc Aeui Quodcumquest : Lucretius and Time.” Latomus, vol. 46, no. 4, 1987, pp. 720–29. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41534650

Berns, Gisela. “Time and Nature in Lucretius’ ‘De Rerum Natura.’” Hermes, vol. 104, no. 4, 1976, pp. 477–92. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4475983

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Emma’s translation of the seventh Homeric Hymn to Dionysus

Episode 105: Dionysus, Translation, & Queering Greek Drama with Emma Pauly

Aven McMaster May 3, 2022

This episode we have a fascinating conversation with classicist, dramaturg, and translator Emma Pauly about all things Dionysian, Greek tragedy, and their translation of Euripides’ Bacchae. We explore how Emma brings their experience with acting and directing to translating and analyzing Greek literature, and how our understanding of the past changes as we develop our understanding of gender and sexuality.

Emma’s website

Bacchae recording

Twitter

Instagram

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